The invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding animals.
Efforts to achieve scientific and technical work methods, which correspond to industrial standards, have recently led to an advanced progress in animal farming. Efforts to largely control the strong irregularities, weather influences and disturbances, traditionally plaguing animal farming have been especially successful. Scientific research has resulted in reference values which are continuously supplemented and corrected. However, such values represent but rough clues for successful animal farming.
Furthermore, considerations have been made especially as regards the data processing and memory capacity of computers for the continuous registration of measured values, especially as regards feed utilization and based on this, the regulation of the amount of feed, the feed composition and other conditions related to animal farming, in particular climatic conditions, in order to achieve efficient feed utilization. However, it has been proven difficult to arrive at a reliable basis for optimization based on, for example, the weight increase of an animal, the milk or egg production of individual animals or animal groups with extremely small changes in the results.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to develop a method and arrangement allowing the optimization of the feeding of animals, especially hogs, in a more reliable and metrologically less complicated way.
According to the invention, this object is accomplished with a feeding method utilizing the behavior characteristics of the animals. The advantage of applicant's invention becomes clear when considering that the behavior of the animals delivers a much faster and more distinct treatment result, that is a feeding result, which provides feeding optimization in a reliable and faster manner.
Various types of behavior characteristics can be used individually or in combination with one another to evaluate the behavior. Thus, basically, the movement behavior, the breathing behavior, the release of sounds, etc. can be brought into play. The eating behavior of the animal is, however, of prime interest as regards the feeding and furthermore, easy to determine because of its localization to the feeding place.
It has proven to be particularly effective to consider the time an animal or an animal group needs to consume a predetermined amount of feed as a criterion for the eating behavior and to relate an optimization of the feed amount and/or feed composition to a set reference time, i.e., when the feed is consumed faster the amount of feed is increased and vice versa.
Other features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described in relationship to specific embodiments it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and operation o the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.